Description: The danger of any professional code of ethics is that it might recognize and enforce only the moral values and standards of conduct of the group in power. A truly fair and culturally inclusive code of ethics does more than reflect the cultural perspective of those who wrote the code.

This workshop will examine the basic moral principles that provide a culturally-focused foundation for the ethical conduct of addiction professionals. Autonomy, beneficence, integrity, nonmaleficence, respect and fairness are recognized as universally valued attributes that are manifest and will be discussed in specific cultural context.

A three stage framework for ethical multicultural competence will be presented to increase the awareness and skills of the helping professional and provide a standardized instrument to be used by both professionals and service systems.